ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the effects of changing labour market conditions and educational expansion on early career outcomes for young people in ten Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries between 2000 and 2007. The recent changes in tertiary education and in professional jobs mean that changes in educational attainment may generate downward competition from tertiary level graduates, and also have effects on labour market opportunities for less educated young people, increasing their unemployment risks. An economic crisis increasing competition for jobs would affect recent labour market entrants particularly strongly, as they have relatively little work experience. Such patterns mean that much can be learned from studying the consequences of changing aggregate labour market conditions and educational expansion for different educational groups in CEE countries. People can argue that the unemployment rate or business cycle also mediates youth labour market status. This suggests that educational expansion and professionalisation have different impacts on the labour market outcomes of highly educated young people.
